Shloka 167

Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness

Nivātakavaca engagement

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि निवातकवचयुद्धपर्वणि गन्धमादनवासे युधिष्ठटिरार्जुनसंवादे सप्तषष्ट्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi nivātakavacayuddhaparvaṇi gandhamādanavāse yudhiṣṭhirārjunasaṃvāde saptaṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਮਹਾਭਾਰਤ ਦੇ ਵਨਪਰਵ ਵਿੱਚ—ਨਿਵਾਤਕਵਚ ਯੁੱਧਪਰਵ ਦੇ ਅਧੀਨ—ਗੰਧਮਾਦਨ ਵਾਸ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਸੰਗ ਵਿੱਚ, ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ-ਅਰਜੁਨ ਸੰਵਾਦ ਦਾ ਇੱਕ ਸੌ ਸੜਸਠਵਾਂ ਅਧਿਆਇ ਸਮਾਪਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

इतिthus; end-quote marker

श्रीमहाभारतेin the revered Mahābhārata

वनपर्वणिin the Forest Book (Vana-parvan)

निवातकवचयुद्धपर्वणिin the sub-book concerning the battle with the Nivātakavacas

गन्धमादनवासेin the dwelling (episode) at Gandhamādana

युधिष्ठिरार्जुनसंवादेin the dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna

सप्तषष्ट्यधिकशततमःthe one hundred and sixty-seventh

अध्यायःchapter

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Mahābhārata

Vana Parva

Nivātakavaca (as a group, via the section title)

Gandhamādana

Yudhiṣṭhira

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This line is not a teaching verse but a colophon: it situates the chapter within the Mahābhārata’s larger architecture (parva, sub-parva, setting, and interlocutors), reminding readers that ethical reflection and narrative action are framed through carefully organized dialogues and contexts.

What is happening in the narrative?

The text is marking the end of a chapter set during the Pāṇḍavas’ stay at Gandhamādana, within the portion connected to the Nivātakavacas episode, and presented as part of a dialogue between Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna.